Florida painter, Everglades, Marco Island, artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

4/30/08

Visit the Everglades

Looking at this small painting of the Everglades, you see the warmth of the sun, some puffy clouds, and the graceful palms. There's nothing in the painting to show you all the sharp, prickly, and bitey elements hidden in the greenery! Much of the lush growth and rich green leaves have spikes of some sort lying below view just waiting to prick the unaware. And each leaf and stem contain a hidden place for an insect or worse, a snake. While it's teeming with life, it's one of those places so important to the health of our earth that it's difficult for people to live there. Despite those little inconveniences, there's a beauty and a magic found nowhere else on our planet. If you live or visit South Florida, be sure to check out the Everglades ecosystem. There's information about how to do that here. The Everglades have been my muse for almost 15 years, and they still show me something wonderful to paint each time I visit.

SoldRich Beauty7" x 5" (17.8cm x 12.7cm)acrylic on canvas

I finished and delivered "Meandering Downs" much to the delight of the person who commissioned the painting. Since I'm nearly hysterical with worry when working commission, I'm always relieved when the painting is delivered and the patron pleased!

2 comments:

JoAnn- It's just dreamy how you capture the colors and light in your paintings, especially this one.Finishing a commission piece is nerve-rattling but in this case there could be no doubt.It's beautiful!

I thank you for sharing the benefit of your experience with acrylics outside in the environment we're both in. I can't seem to make my paintings have the softness of yours, though. I read carefully about what you suggested but somehow the drying factor is so hasty, that I have to re-mix those little pools of color.I imagine that you are a fast and deft painter too!I'm still inspired every time I see your work.

Thanks, Bonnie, for your nice comments! I guess I do work quickly, and ruin a few brushes with my scrubbing. Color pools are hard to obtain in acrylics, that's for sure! It's more like mix and scrub, mix and scrub. Jo-Ann

Embracing the Everglades

Search This Blog

Followers

Welcome

Hi! I'm Jo-Ann Sanborn, and I paint the Florida landscape, particularly the Everglades and in and around Marco Island.

I write about the unique and magical Everglades environment, the growing Marco Island arts community, and about how I go about the difficult task of trying to interpret the landscape I love in paint. I paint daily, visit the Everglades often, and do my best to post new paintings for you to enjoy three times a week.